“Mrs. Lane, we are ready for your dismissal, just sign these papers and you will be on your way.” These were the shocking words my husband and I heard three hours--yes, only THREE short HOURS--after the difficult and long delivery of my first child. We were living in the beautiful country of New Zealand at the time, and my dramatic delivery had every element of a scene straight from the television show “E.R.” There were hallucinations, a frantic “code blue” and an actual chain contraption from medieval times pulling my child from my womb. We thought the delivery was the worst part, but we had no idea what was ahead. After the delivery we were informed that the hospital ...

I have a childhood friend who was born February 29, 1972. That’s right, he’s a leap year baby. If you ask him his age, he’ll tell you he’s only 10 years old. Today he gets to enjoy celebrating his ACTUAL birthday on his ACTUAL day as he turns fabulous 40. The concept of a leap year fascinates me. Essentially, this day is added to our calendar as a corrective measure. Here’s a little science lesson explaining leap year. The easiest explanation for having a leap year is that the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days, so an added day every few years corrects our calendar. Without this calendar correction, within 100 years, we’d be off about 24 days! Another ...

It’s not unusual for our family of five to carve out time in our busy lives for “family game night.” I will admit I am considered borderline obsessive when it comes to the love of game playing. There’s rarely a game I don’t like and rarely a game I don’t win. Ok, so I admit, I’m a bit competitive as well. To be around me when game playing ensues is like watching a hibernating bear looking for it’s first meal after his winter’s nap. I’m ready and I take no prisoners! Unfortunately, this doesn’t always go over well with my young children. It’s always a major quest to find a game that fits all of the ages of our family.  Our most recent game night involved a new ...

I was introduced to a woman who has made an indelible impression on my life, a true hero of the faith. Before I tell the story of my time spent with her, I want to first ask a simple question: have you ever wanted to be a part of the “next big thing”? For most of us, the answer is an easy “Yes.” We are conditioned to look for it, even live for it in some ways. For instance, those “fashionistas” who are completely driven by being fashion forward, to them finding the next greatest trend or fad is simply exhilarating. For the “techies” out there, euphoria occurs as you continually upgrade to the newest and best piece of technology money can buy, as it promises to be “the ...

It was to be a trip to remember for my daughter and me. How could it not be … we were going to “the happiest place on Earth?” My oldest daughter is a member of a dance company, which had been invited to participate in an “invitation only” workshop at Disney World and, in addition, given the chance to dance on the Disney World stage in Downtown. It was to be an experience of a lifetime for my daughter and an earned merit badge for myself as the proud mother.  Leading into this trip I found the numerous preparations a bit tedious and I wondered if I had gotten in over my head. When you leave for a week with one child but leave two at home, the details to sort out can seem ...

I have vivid memories of going to church camp. Every summer my church would pack a bus load of youth for an eight hour drive to a camp in Oklahoma. Some of my fondest memories of being a teenager come from these week long getaways from reality as I knew it. Though the design of these camps was for spiritual awakening, anyone who knows me won’t be surprised to know that I loved going for the fun. In particular, I loved the afternoon competitions that would happen between youth groups. You name it … volleyball, softball, relay races and my personal favorite, tug of war. This game, tug of war, always had an ending of one team, the losing team, being slathered in mud as the losing team ...

A few months ago one of my closest friends, who also happens to be an organizing guru and fashionista all in one, went with me where not many have ever gone before … my closet! I resisted for many months, but after much prodding, she finally wore me down and made me tackle this monster. We spent hours sifting, purging, modeling, organizing and laughing. I even touched up on my debating skills, as I had to present my case on why my favorite purple shirt from five years ago needed to stay in my already overloaded wardrobe. I knew it was a losing battle when I started my argument by calling the shirt ‘purple’, and in all her retail intellect she calls out an objection that I am ...

I have vivid memories of going to church camp.  Every summer my church would pack a bus load of youth for an 8 hour drive to a camp in Oklahoma. Some of my fondest memories of being a teenager come from these week long get-a-ways from reality as I knew it.  Though the design of these camps was for spiritual awakening, anyone who knows me won’t be surprised to know that I loved going for the fun. In particular, I loved the afternoon competitions that would happen between youth groups. You name it … volleyball, softball, relay races and my personal favorite, tug of war. This game, tug of war, always had an ending of one team, the losing team, being slathered in mud as the losing team ...